I’ve been reading through the book of Acts and highlighting every mention of the Holy Spirit. The full title for the book of Acts is, The Acts of the Apostles, which, could have been subtitled, By the Acts of the Holy Spirit. With the coming of Christ and his atoning work, and the sending of the Spirit at Pentecost, the dawning of the new creation and the age to come has broken upon us. We are living in these last days of promise, regenerated and empowered by God to be his holy people and to carry out his mission.
The subject of God’s power is an important element in all of this. But we must not confuse things and think that God’s power (dynamis, from which we get our word dynamite) is something that may be used at will in the same way that we flip a switch and turn on the power for lighting up a room. It is not a matter of us using God’s power, but of God using us by means of his empowering. This shifts the focus from our primary concern of using God’s power for “success in ministry” to being holy and therefore usable as an instrument of power in his hand. This was at the heart of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians:
That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. (Eph 3:16-17)
Paul is praying for converted Christians who already possessed the Spirit, but he is praying for their progress and strengthening by the Spirit in their inner being. This is so that Christ would be enjoyed and made known in and through the life of the believer.
God’s power is demonstrated in Acts by his miraculous works, and by the Spirit anointed messengers who preached a Spirit given Gospel. But this power is also seen in the Spirit wrought reception of that Word in those who believe the Gospel and experience God’s transforming power as evidenced by an ever deepening desire for holiness which, will inevitably result in spiritual fruitfulness and ministry.
